Travel chaos starts to ease as Gulf states reopen airspace

Air travel disruptions started to ease in the Middle East as a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Iran, and several Persian Gulf states reopened their airspace on June 24.

National carriers in the Gulf resumed flights, with operations restarting at some of the world’s busiest airports. Hubs in Doha and Dubai had closed briefly in preparation for Iran’s June 23 missile strike on a US air base in Qatar. 

Airports in Bahrain and Kuwait were also operating again on June 24, though foreign carriers remained cautious, cancelling flights and staying away from a region where millions of passengers pass through every month.

Qatar Airways reinstated flights on June 24 and deployed extra ground staff at Hamad International Airport in Doha to assist the resumption of operations. The carrier operates more than 80 per cent of the flights that go through Hamad, according to ch-aviation, which compiles industry data. 

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, said it would continue to operate its schedule, using flight paths well distanced from conflict areas after some journeys were rerouted on June 23.

Air India said it will progressively resume flights to the Middle East and Europe from June 24, adding that most operations to and from the Middle East will resume from June 25.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) cancelled all flights between Singapore and Dubai until June 25, following “a security assessment of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East”. 

Scoot – the budget arm of SIA – cancelled flights to and from Jeddah on June 23 and 27. The airline said it will continue to monitor the situation and adjust its flight schedule as necessary.

Japan Airlines halted services to Doha until June 27. British Airways flights to Doha remained cancelled on June 24, while Dubai services are operating.

Malaysia Airlines, Korean Air and ANA Holdings are operating flights to Dubai and Doha as normal.

The skies over large swathes of the Middle East have been restricted several times during the past 20 months, making flying through Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran difficult. 

The closures have forced airlines to cancel flights on profitable routes, pass through countries they usually avoid like Afghanistan, and take detours that add flight time and extra fuel costs.

Dozens of aircraft diverted from Dubai and Doha during the disruptions that lasted several hours. The diversions meant some passengers had to fly for longer, stay on the tarmac, or wound up on flights going nowhere.

Travellers aboard a Paris-bound Qantas Airways flight spent more than 15 hours in the air only to find themselves back where they started from in Australia.
BLOOMBERG, REUTERS